Death Valley earthquakes felt in Las Vegas

Three moderate earthquakes were recorded at Death Valley National Park late Thursday and early Friday, according to earthquake experts, and some social media users reported feeling the shaking in Las Vegas.

The first was a 4.2 magnitude quake shortly before midnight Thursday with a 4.7 quake about 1 a.m. and a 4.3 quake about 8 a.m. Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Comments on the Las Vegas Breaking News &Traffic Incidents group on Facebook, as well as posts on X, indicated that some Las Vegas Valley residents felt the earth rumbling.

The earthquakes followed elevated micro earthquake activity near Stovepipe Wells during the past two weeks, the university said in a news release.

Stovepipe Wells is about 150 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

More than 55 earthquakes have been recorded near Stovepipe Wells starting with a 2.9 earthquake Oct. 9.

The earthquakes are detected and reported in real-time by the statewide Nevada Seismological Laboratory seismograph network based at University of Nevada, Reno, and the Southern California Earthquake Network based at the California Institute of Technology. No damage was expected.

“Death Valley is a fascinating region where different types of fault zones link to each other,” said Christie Rowe, director of the laboratory, in a statement. “Earthquakes here are caused by the stretching of the Earth’s crust, which will continue into the future. There will be aftershocks which may be felt around Stovepipe Wells for days to weeks.”

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.